CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – No. 4 Harvard field hockey hits the road for the Garden State this weekend, as the Crimson will take on a pair of ranked opponents in New Jersey.

A historic and storied rivalry is renewed on Friday, Sept. 26, as Harvard will meet No. 8 Princeton. Start time at Bedford Field is set for 5 p.m. as the match will air on ESPN+. Another ranked opponent awaits Harvard on Sunday, Sept. 28, as the Crimson is set for a clash against No. 14 Monmouth. First touch is slated for noon as Harvard fans can watch every minute live on FloSports.

CRIMSON UPDATES:

• For the first time since 1976, Harvard is 6-0 to start a season, marking the best start during head coach Tjerk van Herwaarden's tenure.
• Last week saw the Crimson open Ivy League play with a bang, defeating Dartmouth at home, 7-0, the largest margin of victory against an Ivy League in Harvard history. Six different Crimson found the back of the cage, as Harvard recorded 30 shots, marking the first time Harvard recorded 30 or more shots in a game since 2017.
• Harvard ended the weekend with a 2-0 victory against crosstown rival Northeastern. Junior midfielder Lara Beekhuis and senior defender Bronte-May Brough both scored, as the Crimson extended its winning streak against unranked opponents to 89 matches.
• After the weekend, Harvard moved up to No. 4 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's National Coaches Poll, its highest position since the spring of 2021. Harvard is joined by Ivy League rivals Princeton (No. 8) and Yale (No. 17).
• With a 6-0 record, Harvard is one of seven undefeated programs in the nation, as Yale (5-0) and Cornell (4-0) are also undefeated.
• Harvard's captains for the 2025 season are senior midfielders Kitty Chapple and Fiene Oerlemans.
• van Herwaarden is in his 13^th season at the helm of the Crimson field hockey program. A four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year, van Herwaarden owns a 153-67 record in his Crimson tenure, earning his 150^th career win the 2-1 overtime triumph against No. 12 Ohio State.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:

• Princeton enters Friday's highly anticipated match on Friday with a 4-2 record, with its two losses arriving against No. 6 Syracuse and No. 2 North Carolina. The Tigers opened their Ivy League slate with a 1-0 win against Penn and followed that victory with a 5-0 triumph against UConn.
• Monmouth is 6-1 to start the 2025 campaign. Last week saw the Hawks earn its first ranked win of the season, defeating No. 17 Rutgers, 4-2, on the road.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Friday marks the 55^th meeting between Harvard and Princeton, as the Tigers lead the all-time series, 42-11-2.
• Last season saw the Crimson and the Tigers take each other on twice. In the regular season meeting at Berylson Field, Princeton scored back-to-back goals to earn a 2-1 overtime win, as Harvard avenged the defeat in the championship round of the 2024 Ivy League Tournament, defeating the Tigers 2-1 in overtime. The Crimson is 3-1 in the last four contests against Princeton.
• The Harvard and Princeton series is the defining rivalry in the Ivy League, as either the Crimson or Tigers have won the regular season title dating back to the 2012 season. Since 2016, Harvard and Princeton have alternated winning the Ivy League regular season title, with the Crimson defeating the Tigers in the championship round of the 2023 and 2024 Ivy League Tournaments.
• Harvard and Monmouth will meet for the third time ever on Sunday, as the Crimson lead the series, 2-0. This marks the first showdown between the Crimson and the Hawks since 2022, as both of Harvard's wins against Monmouth arrived in overtime.

YOU SHALL NOT PASS:

• Led by defenders Bronte-May Brough, Marie Schaefers, Smilla Klas, Brooke Chandler and first-year goalkeeper Linde Burger, Harvard owns one of the best defenses in the nation.
• Harvard currently owns a goals against average of 0.61, a mark that ranks third nationally and leads the Ivy League. The Crimson also ranks third in shutouts per game (0.50) and eighth in save percentage (.818).
• With three-straight shutouts against UConn, Dartmouth and Northeastern, Harvard has not allowed a goal over the last 217 minutes and 40 seconds of action.

A CAREER TO REMEMBER:

• One of the top defenders in the nation, Brough is authoring a remarkable collegiate career.
• Across 58 career appearances, Brough owns 21 career goals, 10 carer assists and 52 career points. In the 2-0 win against Northeastern, Brough scored her first goal of the season.
• A native of Uttoxeter, England, Brough is only the fourth student-athlete in school history to earn NFHCA All-America honors three or more times. Brough is looking to become only the second four-time All-American in school history, as Bente van Vlijmen '20 did so from 2016-19.

TOTAL TEAM EFFORT:

• Harvard's offense, which leads the Ivy League in goal differential (+13) and ranks second in goals scored (17), is showcasing its depth and skill this season.
• Beekhuis and sophomore forward Martha le Huray lead the Crimson in goals scored with four each, as Beekhuis leads the way with nine points. Sophomore midfielder Tilly Butterworth and junior forward Sage Piekarski have each scored multiple goals as well.
• Nationally, the Crimson ranks 13^th in scoring margin (1.99), a mark that leads the Ivy League.

ROAD WARRIORS:

• The 2025 season sees the Crimson participate in nine road contests. Harvard has already found success on the road this year, owning a 4-0 record away from home in wins against Cal, Stanford, UConn and Northeastern.
• Last season saw Harvard go 9-1 in road contests. Since 2021, Harvard is 31-8 on the road.

UP NEXT:

Harvard ventures back to Berylson Field next week, taking on Penn at noon on Saturday, Oct. 4. The Crimson conclude that slate with a showdown against Boston University on Monday, Oct. 6 at 6 p.m.

For all the latest on Harvard Field Hockey, follow the Crimson on Twitter (@HarvardFH) and Instagram (@harvardfieldhockey).